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Income assessment for part-time students

The maximum amount you can get through the Fee Grant and Course Grant combined depends on the intensity of your course. If you're receiving certain benefits, you'll get the maximum help available. Otherwise, what you get is based on an income assessment - taking into account whether you have a partner or dependent children.

Fee Grant and Course Grant: if you get benefits

The maximum you can get through the Fee Grant will depend on the ‘intensity’ of your course - how long it takes to complete compared to the equivalent full-time course.

If you and your course qualify, you’ll get the maximum Course Grant and maximum Fee Grant available for your course’s intensity (up to the actual amount you’re charged for tuition fees) if you’re receiving any of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Housing Benefit
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • New Deal Allowance

Otherwise, how much you can get is based on an assessment of your income - and usually, if you live with a partner, their income too. If you do live with a partner, the amount you can earn between you and still qualify for a particular level of financial help is raised by £2,000. It’s also raised if you have any dependent children.

The table below gives you an idea of what you can get if you’re a single student without children. To find out if and how your income assessment will be adjusted, see the section below headed ‘If you live with a partner or have children: adjusting your income’.

If you live with a partner or have children: adjusting your income

If you live with a partner, your assessment will usually be based on your combined incomes. See the section on ‘Counting your partner’s income’ below to check whether your partner’s income will be taken into account. The maximum income you can have and still qualify for a particular level of financial help is raised:

  • by £2,000 if you live with a partner
  • by £2,000 for your oldest dependent child
  • by £1,000 each for any other dependent children you have

Counting your partner’s income

If you live with a partner, whether their income is taken into account depends on:

  • whether you started your course before or after 1 September 2005
  • your age

If you started your course on or after 1 September 2005 - or haven’t started it yet - then your partner’s income will be taken into account. If you started your course before this date, your partner’s income won’t be taken into account if:  

  • you’re aged under 25 and not married to your partner
  • you and your partner are of the same sex- but are not civil partners

Extra financial help for students